Pin contact



Sept 28, 1954 J. osrRAK PIN CONTACT Filed April 28, 1951 [2206222029: 'ff/056,022 szwf.

'y AM* /Q`MM v Patented Sept. 2.8, 1.95.4`

PIN CONTACT `loseph Ostrak, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Joy Manufacturing Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 28, 1951, Serial No. 223,545

6 Claims.

My invention relates to electrical contacts, and particularly to expanding pin contacts, usable as a separable conductor of electrical energy in any form of connector, either assembled, partially premolded or solid molded. It has particularthough by no means exclusiveutility with solid, i. e., non-expanding-socket contacts.

It has been common to use hollow, cross-slotted or split pins, with the slots or splits extending through the engagement ends of the pins, and to provide within the cavities of the slotted (split) pins various expanding devices, but these contact-s have been inherently weak, and the present invention, by the use of a hollow pin having a solid (unsplit) entering or engagement end, and having a side slot terminating short f both ends thereof, and through the use of a resilient spring element housed within the pin cavity and proj ectible through the slot, and maintained in a position in substantially axial planes and formed to prevent localization of stresses, and desirably held in the planes mentionel by means cooperating with the relatively movable free ends of the spring element, overcomes the weaknesses of the prior art devices mentioned and provides a very practical and durable construction.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved pin contact. Another object of the invention is to provide an improved male or pin contact element, which effectively and durably solves the problems raised by manufacturing variations in mating contact diameters and by slight misalignments which may occur in multiple conductor connectors. A further object of the invention is to provide an improved pin type contact in which the main Contact element is, by the restricted slotting thereof, caused to retain such rigidity that it is not subject to breakage or excessively rapid disintegration, and which yet is resiliently held in good seating contact with a mating socket element. Still another object is t0 provide an improved contact having a spring element projected yieldingly through a slot therein,

tact in which the illustrative embodiment of the invention is incorporated.

Fig. 2 is a central, longitudinal section on the plane of the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, with parts in full.

Fig. 3 is a view through a pair of mating contacts, parts shown in section being broken away 2 to a plane corresponding to the plane of the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the plane of the line 3 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the plane of the line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, and rst to Fig. 3, there will be noted in that ligure a female socket contact element I I to which a conductor I2 is shown attached, and which has a bore I3 adapted to receive the male or pin contact It, which has attached to it another conductor II. The contact I5 includes a shell 2D, an end closure 2| and a spring 22.

The shell 20 is illustrated as having tapered, herein shown as a rounded, forward end 25, an internal chamber 25, which is cylindrical except at its forward hemispherical end 21, a collar portion 28 at its outer end, and as having a narrow slot 2S through its wall, such slot terminating at its forward end, as shown, just to the rear of the hemispherical end 21 and at its other end adjacent the forward end of the end closure element 2 i. The spring 22 is of the safety-pin type, and comprises a substantially straight leg 3, a helix or turn portion 32, and a further leg 33, the latter having its free end 3@ depressed relative to most of the remainder of said leg 33, having the most of such remainder-designated for reference 35 straight and adapted to be projected through the slot 29, and having the forward end of said portion 35 connected by an angularly related section 35 with the helix 32 in such a manner that the portion 35 lies for substantially its full length in contact with the wall of the bore in the mating contact element I I when the parts are connected as in Fig. 3.

The end closure 2| is bored as at 3l for a portion of its length for the reception of the conductor I'I, is diametrically slotted as at t@ to receive the free end of the leg SI and the free end 34 of the leg 33, and is soldered in position with the slot l and the slot 2S in the shell 20 in the same longitudinal central planes. As a result of this arrangement, it will be seen that the engagement of the leg portion 35 in the slot 29, and the engagement of the ends of the spring legs 3l and 33 in the slot 4D will insure the coninement of the spring element for movement in such a manner that displacement will be impossible and that its force will be exerted in diametric planes, and it will further be noted that the coaction of the angled portions 34 and 36 of the leg 33 with the ends of the slot 29, and the fact that ,the maximum possible endwise displacement of It will now be evident that I have provided an improved pin contact element particularly, but not exclusively, adapted for use with solid female contacts, serving to compensate for either or both manufacturing variations in mating contact alignments and diameters, of great durability, providing effective contact engagement, and having its component parts secured permanently in optimum cooperative relation.

Other advantages include:

1. The spring does not require distortion for assembly.

2. The short leg of the spring is especially shaped to aid and maintain engagement of the pin contact with the inside surface of the mating socket.

3. The short leg is short enough to assure free action in the end plug recess, but long enough to prevent its escape through the shell slot.

Il. The long leg is straight, for maximum bearing against the inside wall of the plug element, and its contact with or close proximity to the end wall of the slot s prevents, or at least minimizes, end movement of the spring.

5. The slot 29 is of minimum width and length, thus minimizing the access of dirt and grit to the interior of the Contact, and leaving the wall of the pin as unweakened as possible.

While there is in this application specifically described one form which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form of the same is shown for purposes of illustration and that the invention may be modied and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. c, pin type contact, a hollow shell providin a cylindrical chamber and having a hollow nose at one end and a diametrcally slot- =ure plug at its other end and having a nl slot in its peripheral wall in the longitudinal central planes with the slot in said closure plug and terminating short of said plug at one end o' of said rounded nose at its other end, and a s` g having a leg received at one end in said diametric slot in said closure plug, and having a central portion projecting through said `n said p 1ipheral wall, and conned by its rement with the slot in said closure plug to movement in an plane, said spring having another leg received at one end in said diainetric slot whereby the free ends of said spring are confined to positions in longitudinal central planes common to said longitudinal slot and said diametric slot.

2. In a pin t vpe contact, a hollow shell having a hollow rounded nose at one end and a diametrically slotted closure plug at its other end and having a longitudinal slot in its peripheral wall terminating short of said plug at one end and of said rounded nose at its other end and in a common axial parallel-plane-bounded space with the slot in the closure plug, and a spring having a leg providing a portion spaced from its ends projecting through said longitudinal slot and a second and longer leg and a resilient loop connecting said legs and housed in said hollow rounded nose, said legs engaged at their free ends in the diametric slot in said closure plug and the longer leg extending substantially to the bottom of said latter slot and cooperating in the positioning of said spring lengthwise of said hollow shell.

3. In a pin type contact, a hollow shell having a rounded chamber therein and a rounded nose at one end and a diametrically slotted closure plug at its other end and having a longitudinal slot in its peripheral wall terminating short of said plug at one end and of said rounded nose at its other end, and a spring having a leg projecting for a portion of its length spaced from both its ends through said slot and a second leg, said legs having free ends and engaged at their free ends in the diametric slot in said closure plug, and said slots lying in common planes extending lengthwise of said shell.

4. In a pin type contact, a hollow shell having a rounded chamber therein and a rounded nose at one end and a diametrcally slotted closure plug at its other end and having a longitudinal slot in its peripheral wall terminating short of said plug at one end and of said rounded nose at its other end, and a spring having a leg projecting for a portion of its length spaced from both its ends through said slot and a second leg, said legs having free ends and engaged at their free ends in the diametric slot in said closure plug, and said slots lying in common planes extending lengthwise of said shell and in discrete zones extending transversely of said shell.

5. In a pin type contact, a hollow shell structure in which there is a rounded spring-housing chamber closed at its opposite ends, said shell having at one end a rounded entering portion and at its other a connection for a conductor, and said shell having a slot extending lengthwise thereof but of less length than the length of said chamber, and a safety-pin type spring having a pair of legs, including a leg providing a straight portion for projection through said slot and having formed at one end thereof an inbent end precluding its escape through said slot, said shell structure having within the saine, but outside the transverse zone through which said slot extends, parallel, generally diametrically extending walls gcoacting with that end of said spring at which said inbent end is formed to guide said leg having the straight portion for movement in said slot.

6. In a pin type contact, a tubular shell structure in which there is a spring-housing chamber closed at its opposite ends, said shell having at one end a rounded entering portion and at its other a connection for a conductor, and said shell having a slot extending lengthwise thereof but of Iless length than the length of said chamber, and a safety-pin type spring having a loop and a pair or" legs connected by said loop and including a leg providing a straight portion for projection through said slot and having an inbent end precluding its escape through said slot, said shell structure having within the same parallel, generally diametrically extending walls coacting with the free ends of said legs to maintain said leg having the straight portion in position for flexure through said slot, and the other of said legs of such length that it normally extends for substantially the full length of the space between said parallel walls and coacts with said walls in lixing the position of said spring in said springhousing chamber.

References Cited in the nle of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 144,573 Austria Mar. 14, 1935 179,224 Switzerland Nov. 1, 1935 220,574 Switzerland Feb. 16, 1943 379,474 Great Britain Sept. 1, 1932 

